[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 89 (Thursday, May 8, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24734-24736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11475]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0027, FRL-7496-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; State Water Quality Program Management Resource 
Analysis

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit the 
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): State Water Quality Program Management 
Resource Analysis, ICR Number: 1945.02, OMB Control Number: 2040-0216, 
Current Expiration Date: September 30, 2003. Before submitting the ICR 
to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific 
aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 7, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Ephremides, Resources Management 
and Evaluation Staff, Office of Wastewater Management, Office of Water, 
Mail Code: 4201M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-0643; fax 
number: (202) 501-2399; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number OW-2003-0027, which is available for public 
viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA 
West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA 
Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number 
for the

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Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water 
Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. 
Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft collection of information, 
submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the 
contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the 
public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, 
select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 60 days of this notice, and according to the following detailed 
instructions: (1) Submit your comments to EPA online using EDOCKET (our 
preferred method), by email to: [email protected], or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket, Mail 
Code: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted 
electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing 
in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment 
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public 
disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment 
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that 
material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The 
entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be 
available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the 
official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is 
otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public 
docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For 
further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal 
Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 
31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
State governments.
    Title: State Water Quality Program Management Resource Analysis 
(OMB Control Number 2040-0216; EPA ICR Number 1945.02 expiring 09/30/
2003.
    Abstract: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership 
with States, is conducting the State Water Quality Management Resource 
Analysis (Gap Analysis) to help enumerate current and future funding 
needs and to help identify innovative strategies for reducing resource 
gaps. To gather preliminary information in a short time frame, the Gap 
Analysis was originally divided into two phases. Phase I consisted of 
the development of an initial, national estimate of the resource gap 
faced by water quality management programs to provide a general idea of 
the magnitude of the resource gap faced by States.
    Phase II of the Gap Analysis involved developing a detailed, 
activity-based workload model to provide a common framework and 
consistent methodology for States and EPA to estimate the cost to the 
States to meet the objectives of the Clean Water Act (CWA) over the 
next five years. In order to complete the model, EPA's Office of 
Wastewater Management (OWM) gathered data from 21 States on current and 
future resources needed for water quality management activities.
    Phase III of the Gap Analysis will build upon the information 
collected in Phase II, which used an estimate of current State 
expenditures on water quality activities. Under Phase III, States will 
complete a portion of the Phase II modules to update the needs numbers 
to reflect regulatory changes or changes to their programs. In 
addition, States will be asked to complete an activity-based model for 
current expenditures that mirrors the model for needs. This baseline 
spending data will allow the States and EPA to more accurately estimate 
the gap between expenditures and needed resources.
    Phase III of the Gap Analysis is a one-time collection effort by 
OWM, and responses to this information collection request (ICR) are 
voluntary. The collection is necessary to develop an estimate of the 
gap in resources facing water quality management programs, both for 
individual States and the nation.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's 
regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15.
    EPA is asking States to provide estimates of current spending and 
resource needs for water quality management program activities. EPA 
will provide the States with integrated modules (the Gap Analysis 
model) designed to capture current expenditures, current needs, and 
future needs to perform all activities associated with the development, 
planning, coordination, management, and implementation of State water 
quality management programs.
    Each module contains lists of activities in each of the program 
areas. The modules will be integrated so that estimates for various 
program areas can be combined into a total estimate across all program 
areas.
    To reduce the burden of the collection, the Gap Analysis model is 
designed to maximize State flexibility. It contains default values 
developed for the national estimate of the resource needs faced by 
State water quality management programs. Respondents can accept the 
default values or enter an appropriate value for their State. If the 
default value is altered, the change will cascade throughout the rest 
of the module.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: The total number of respondents for this ICR is 
estimated to be twenty State agencies. The total number of responses 
for each respondent is one, which averages to 0.33 responses per 
respondent annually. EPA estimates the burden to be $1,893 and 61 hours 
per respondent for each respondent that chooses to submit information. 
For the three-year ICR period, the average annual respondent burden and 
cost to States and EPA is estimated at 1,353 hours and $46,068. The 
annual burden and cost to State governments is estimated at 1,207 hours 
and $37,648. No capital costs, recordkeeping burden, or operation and 
maintenance (O&M) costs are associated with this ICR.
    State labor costs are estimated by applying an hourly labor rate to 
the burden hour estimates. For purposes of calculating State labor 
costs, EPA assumed a single average hourly wage rate of $31.20 per hour 
for all State activities, which is consistent with other recent OWM ICR 
submittals. This rate is based on the average hourly wage for State 
employees, as determined by the

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U.S. Department of Labor, and includes benefits. As in previous ICRs, 
50 percent overhead costs were added to the average State rate.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or 
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time 
needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize 
technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to 
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; 
train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; 
search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; 
and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

    Dated: May 1, 2003.
James A. Hanlon,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 03-11475 Filed 5-7-03; 8:45 am]
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